Passing off Chinese product as Indian

[Hafizzz]

India’s $35 tablet actually made in China
India’s $35 tablet actually made in China - TABLET.BLORGE

September 12, 2010
by Dave Parrack

The $35 tablet supposedly developed in India and due to be manufactured in India is actually Chinese. And already exists as a product. Oops.

July saw the Indian government unveil its plans to release an Android-based tablet which will be priced at just $35. Designed to be a low-cost alternative for the country’s college students, the tablet was supposedly designed by some of India’s leading IT universities. But that now appears to have been a complete fabrication.

As first noted by Indian website Android OS, the unnamed $35 tablet isn’t Indian in origin at all. Instead, it is actually the Hivision Speedpad that was first spotted at CeBIT 2010. Hivision is a Chinese company, and the Speedpad has been developed and is being manufactured in China.

It’s hardly news that a piece of consumer electronics is being manufactured in China, because the vast majority are these days. But it’s very surprising when the Indian government so flagrantly boasted that the product was Indian in origin. I know governments are prone to lying in order to keep the people happy but about a tablet device? That has to be a first.

Aside from the obvious dishonesty on show here, I guess it doesn’t make that much difference to the actual product. Hivision has stated that the Speedpad will cost around $100 when it launches, so with government subsidies it’s entirely possible that India is going to be able to sell the device, once its been repackaged as Indian obviously, to students for $35 or so.

The tablet was never going to make it out of India, at least not at the $35 asking price. And it’s now clear why: the Indian government will revert to asking $100 or so if they sell the device in other countries. As for the Speedpad itself in its original form, it’s never likely to be seen outside of China. So the Indian government may be the only source for non-Indians looking to get their hands on a cheap and cheerful Android tablet.

If only they’d been honest from the start!

Indigenous , huh ? LOL